BSC CURRENT AFFAIRS ONE LINERS FOR BANK /SSC EXAMS

Banking & Economy

1.     The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised exposure limit under exchange traded currency derivatives (ETCD) trading for residents and foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to $100 million across all currency pairs involving Indian rupee.

2.     The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), based in China, approved $1.5 billion in loans to India for infrastructure-related projects in 2018.

3.     Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd (ABIPBL) has commenced operations as a payments bank with effect from Feb 22.

4.     The state-owned banks started rationalising overseas operations by consolidating 35 operations and closing down non-viable branches as part of the clean and responsible banking initiative.

5.     According to index of eight core industries, Core sector growth grown at faster pace of 6.7% in Jan 2018 against 3.4% in Jan 2017.

6.     Moody’s Investors Service has recently estimated India’s GDP growth forecast for year 2018 & 2019 at 7.6% and 7.5% respectively.

7.     According to Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), India’s manufacturing sector activity fell to four-month low to 52.1 in Feb 2018 as factory output and new business orders rose at slower pace.

8.     The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under Finance Ministry categorised around 9,491 non-banking financial companies (NBFC) as high risk prone financial institutions as they have not complied with stipulated provision of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

National News

1.     The Women and Child Development Ministry approved projects worth Rs 2,919 crore under Nirbhaya Fund for creating eight safe cities, viz, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Lucknow.

2.     National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) under Ministry of Textiles is going to conduct National Sizing Survey dubbed as ‘Size India’ to develop comprehensive size chart for ready-to-wear industry based on body measurements of Indian population.

3.     Arunachal Express, a new train between Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh and Anand Vihar Terminal in the national capital has been flagged off.

4.     According to recent survey, only 13% of tiger conservation areas that are part of Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) Partnership meet global standards.

5.     India will provide $5 mn dollar assistance to Jordan in the form of vaccines and medicines in 2018.

6.     The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will get largest chunk of loans on offer under a new scheme

Revitalising Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE).

				From FY 2018-19 to FY
						2021-22 (in crore)
	IITs					25,000
	Central Universities					20,000
	NITs					11,300
	Institutes of eminence					10,000

Research Promotion	9,000
New Institutes (unforeseen)	6,000
IISERs	5,000
IIMs (6 new)	4,500
IIITs (set up in PPP)	3,000
IIITs (Govt)	2,000
Other centrally funded institutes	1,700
Schools of Planning & Architecture	1,500
Language Institutes	1,000
Total	1,00,000

7.     The Union Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Uma Bharti launched the 2nd project of Swajal Yojana at village Bhikampura, Karauli, Rajasthan with a budget of more than Rs 54.17 lakh.

8.     The Union Commerce and Industry ministry appointed four institutes to interact with stakeholders and suggest measures to push India’s ranking in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index.

9.     The Union Govt will roll out Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) scheme, which was first announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during his 2018-19 budget speech.

10.  The Ministry of Shipping under Union Govt laid foundation stone for setting up of a National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) at IIT Chennai to give technological support to ports and maritime sector.

11.  India ranked 47 out of 86 countries in Inclusive Internet Index (III) 2018 report, commissioned by Facebook and conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). (Sweden topped the index)

12.  The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched ‘Viral Load testing’ for all People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV).

13.  The high-level committee for Central Assistance, under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, approved financial assistance of Rs 6000 crore for nine states which suffered by natural calamities.

  Rs 1,711.66 crore for Bihar (affected by floods)

  Rs 1,055.05 crore for Gujarat (affected by floods)

  Rs 420.57 crore for Rajasthan (affected by floods)

  Rs 420.69 crore for Uttar Pradesh (affected by floods)

  Rs 838.85 crore for West Bengal (affected by floods)

  Rs 169.63 crore for Kerala (affected by cyclone Ockhi)

  Rs 133.05 crore for Tamil Nadu (affected by cyclone Ockhi and North East Monsoon)

  Rs 395.91 crore for Chhattisgarh (affected by kharif drought)

  Rs 836.09 crore for the state of Madhya Pradesh (affected by kharif drought)

14.  India’s first Aviation Multi Skill Development Centre (MSDC) launched at Chandigarh Airport’s old terminal.

15.  SRIJAN (Station Rejuvenation through Joint ActioN), an idea competition for development of 635 railway stations has been launched on MyGov portal by Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Limited (IRSDC).

16.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the 'Run for New India' marathon in Surat, Gujarat with a mission to build a New India.

17.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Amma Scooter Scheme – the All India Anna Dravida

Munnetra Kazhagam govt’s flagship programme – in Chennai on Feb 24, the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

18.  Prime Minister Modi lays the foundation stones for projects worth 1000 crores for Daman & Diu.

19.  PM Narendra Modi inaugurates helicopter service between Daman and Diu, flight service connecting Ahmedabad with Diu and several projects.

20.  Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the nodal authority for issuing Aadhaar cards has rollout ‘Bal Aadhaar’ (Kid’s Aadhaar), meant for kids under 5 years of age.

State News

1.     The first phase of world’s largest solar park, Shakti Sthala solar park was inaugurated in drought-prone Pavagada region of Tumkur district, Karanataka.

2.     The 2nd India-Korea Business Summit 2018 held in New Delhi with the theme 'India-Korea: Scaling up the Special Strategic Relationship through Trade and Investments'.

3.     The Maharashtra’s first Mega Food Park, Satara Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd. inaugurated by Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal at Degaon Village in Satara district.

4.     The Tamil Nadu Govt set up a 24-hour helpline (toll-free number – 14417) that would provide information on education and offer guidance to students.

5.     27th Technological Conference of Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association (IJIRA) on Shaping the Future of Jute held in Kolkata, West Bengal.

6.     A two-day International Conference on Sustainable Biofuels organized by Department of Biotechnology on behalf of Mission Innovation and Biofuture Platform held in New Delhi.

7.     The two-day 21st National Conference on e-Governance held in Hyderabad.

8.     The 15th edition of BioAsia, the annual flagship programme of Govt of Telangana, held at Hyderabad International Convention Center (HICC) in Madhapur in Hyderabad.

9.     The Assam govt will be observing Sept 22 as ‘Rhino Day’ to generate public awareness on protection of the one-horned pachyderm.

International news

1.     The 'India by the Nile', mega annual cultural festival started in Cairo, Egypt from Mar 6 with main focus on classical culture.

2.     The China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) will build its first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Liaoning by the middle of the next decade.

3.     Pakistan will be added on ‘grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in June 2018, once an action plan is mutually negotiated.

4.     The 7th meeting of Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Nepal-India relations held in Kathmandu,

Nepal.

5.     China has been elected as vice chair of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global body mandated to combat terror financing and money laundering.

6.     Chinese electronic device and smartphone maker, Huawei unveiled Balong 5G01, world’s first 5G chip at Mobile World Congress 2018 held in Barcelona, Spain.

Science & Defence

1.     Indian Navy’s sailboat INSV Tarini, led by all-women crew, reached Cape Town, South Africa as part of Navika Sagar Parikrama expedition.

2.     Bharati Defence and Infrastructure Ltd (BDIL) delivered high-speed interceptor boat ICG C-162 to Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at BDIL jetty in Mangaluru, Karnataka.

3.     The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, approved various procurement proposals for three services estimated at about Rs. 9,435 crore.

4.     The Indigenously developed Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGM) Nag successfully test-fired in desert conditions against two tank targets at different ranges and timings.

5.     The  Western  Naval  Command  carried  out  three-week  long  tri-Services  maritime  exercise  termed

‘Paschim Leher (XPL – 2018)’ in the Arabian Sea with an aim of building inter- operability.

6.     The eighth edition of Lamitye 2018 bilateral military exercise between Indian Army and Seychelles

People’s Defence Force held at Mahe Island in Seychelles archipelago with an aim to fight insurgency, terrorism and piracy threats.

7.     The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) carried out first successful test-flight of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Rustom-2 in user configuration with higher power engine.

8.     The Indian Navy will be hosting 16 countries for multi-national 2018 MILAN exercise at Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) islands from March 6 to 13, 2018.

9.     According to new study based on data from India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Moon’s water may be widely distributed across its surface and not confined to particular region or type of terrain

Approvals & MOUs

1.     The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) crossed an important milestone of having signed 200 Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs).

2.     The Union Cabinet approved establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) as an independent regulator for the auditing profession.

3.     The Union Cabinet approved introduction of Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, 2018 in Parliament, which aims to curb practice of evading criminal prosecution by economic offenders (wilful defaulters) who flee from country to evade clutches Indian law by remaining outside jurisdiction of Indian courts.

4.     India, Bangladesh and Russia signed tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in construction of Rooppur nuclear power plant near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

5.     India and Jordan inked 12 agreements after the high level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein in New Delhi.

6.     The All India Radio (AIR) and National Book Trust (NBT) has recently signed an MoU to preserve and promote cultural heritage and folk songs sung on various occasion across the country.

7.     Union Cabinet approved the proposal of Ministry of Commerce and Industry to give focused attention to 12 identified Champion Services Sectors (CSS) for promoting their development and realizing their potential.

8.     The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved proposal to double guarantee to Rs. 19,000 crore from earlier Rs 9,500 crore to National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) for obtaining credit from banks for procurement of pulses and oilseeds at the support price.

9.     The Union Cabinet approved signing and ratifying Agreement between India and Jordan on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters.

10.  The Union Cabinet approved signing of an MoU between India and Jordan on cooperation in the field of Health & Medical Science.

11.  The Union Cabinet approved signing of an MoU between India and Jordan for mining and beneficiation of Rock Phosphate and Muriate of Phosphate (MOP).

12.  The Union Cabinet approved the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 for introduction in the Parliament.

13.  The  Cabinet  Committee  on  Economic  Affairs  (CCEA)  approved  continuation  of  Prime  Minister’s

Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for 3 years from 2017-18 to 2019-20.

14.  The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) signed an MoU with the Regional Center for Science and Technology Transfer (RCSTT) of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) for designating Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Lucknow (CSIR-CIMAP) as Coordinating Center on Medicinal Plants.

15.  The Tamil Nadu govt tied up with Microsoft to accelerate cloud technology adoption to reform education sector, build tech capacity and enhance digital literacy across all levels.

Appointments

	Appointments				Appointee
	President of Republic of Armenia				Armen Vardani Sarkissian
	70th Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam				Vijayendra Saraswathi
	Editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV				Rahul Mahajan
	Deputy PM of Australia				Michael McCormack

Awards

1.     The legendary actor-politician, Shatrughan Sinha has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the fields of arts and politics at a ceremony in the UK’s Parliament complex.

2.     The director of Marathi film ‘Redu’ (Radio), Sagar Chaya Vanchar bagged the prestigious Aravindan Puraskaram for the best debutant director of 2017.

Sports

1.     Ace wrestler, Navjot Kaur has become the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold medal in the 65kg freestyle wrestling category of Senior Asian Championship held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

2.     The Indian Snooker team lifted the first edition of IBSF Snooker Team World Cup title.

3.     India’s star wrestler, Vinesh Phogat settled for Silver Medal in the 50kg Freestyle competition at the Asian Wrestling Championship in Kyrgyzstan.

4.     The Karnataka cricket team won 2018 Vijay Hazare trophy after defeating Saurashtra in the final by 41 runs at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi.

5.     Reigning Asian Champion, Gopi Thonakal retained his title at the IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon in New Delhi.

6.     Canada became the latest to embrace franchise-based T20 cricket with the formation of the Global T20 Canada.

7.     Aruna  Budda  Reddy  won  the  women’s  vault  bronze  medal  at  the  Gymnastics  World  Cup  in

Melbourne.

Important Days

Date	Day	Theme
Mar 03	World Wildlife Day	'Big Cats: Predators under Threat'
Mar 01	Civil Accounts Day
Mar 01	Zero Discrimination Day
Feb 28	National Science Day	‘Science and Technology for a sustainable
		future’

Obituary

	Tripura Fisheries & Cooperation Minister			Khagendra Jamataia
	Former Supreme Court judge			Justice S. Ratnavel Pandian
	Noted Odia Bhajan singer, musician & lyricist			Arabinda Muduli
	The former Cabinet secretary of India			TSR Subramanian
	Veteran Bollywood Actress			Sridevi
	Noted Odia author			Kanakalata Mohanty
	Founder member of Bharatiya Jana Sangh &			Bhanu Kumar Shastri
	former MP